Method of forming rims for steering-wheels.



C. W. BECK.

METHOD OF FORMING RIMS FOR STEERING WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED 00126. I9I4.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1..

A TTOR/VEIQS' C. W. BECK.

METHOD OF FORMING RIMS EOR STEERING WHEELS.

APPLICATION. FILED 0(2126. I914.

1,26%;797. Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: l/VVE/VTOR A T ORI VEY/S 'nrurnn srn ras oration,

CHARLES W. BECK, OF DETROIT, MICHIGATI, ASSIGLTOR TO THE BECK-FROST CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

METHOD OF FORMING RIMS FOR STEERING-WHEELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr, 16, 191%,

Application filed October 26, 1914. Serial No. 863,723.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs'W. BECK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Methods of Forming Rims for Steering- Whe'els, of which the following is a specifi- (at-ion, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawlngs.

The invention relates to a new and 1mproved method of shaping vulcanized fiber and resides in certain novel steps in the method as will more fully hereinafter appear. in the present state of the art vulcanized fiber has been formed in sheets, and these sheets have been employed for making a glt tubes or other shapes that can be fashioned from the sheets without emoldlng the fibrous material. This ina.s among the objects thereof to ride a method whereby the vulcanized *ous material may be made into such quired,

speaking my improved method -sists in the form desired, the een vulcanized but while is fibers still green, and then permitthe fibrous material to dry sufiiciently aintain its shape while in engagement 4 mandrel, mold or other shaping dea e invention is adapted for re various types of articles, for the sake 8s clarity if w. ill illustrate and describe the invention in connection. with the formation s of steering wheels,

he i

section of rim hod;

rent form of rim oved method;

illi "ate certain details;

" dough a tube after it mandrel;

J n s top plan view, partly in secor mcelueaticn; e

9 is a sect" ,verspective view trating mold into which the approved and carried out,

r e by my improved he of fibr uteri the fibrous material is still green it is bent into the desiredform and then allowed to dry sufficiently to retain its shape. Prefer-. ably the fibrous material is Wound upon a straight mandrel, thereby forming a straight tube. The latter is then removed from the mandrel while the fibers are still green, the chemical solution washed from the fibrous material and the tube then telescoped upon a mandrel of segmental form, the curvature of the mandrel being substantially that desired for the vehicle rim. The fibrous tube is preferably allowed to remain upon the curved mandrel until sufiiciently dry to maintain its shape, and is then removed. After the green tube is telescoped upon the curved mandrel, any creases or the like may be eliminated by ironing, or by any other suitable process.

Instead of shaping the green tube by forcing it over a curved mandrel, the green tube may be subjected to molds shaped by hand, or otherwise suitably formed. Also when an inner rim member is employed the fibrous tube when removed from the straight mandrel, is telescoped upon the inner rim member and allowed to shrink thereupon to form a permanent covering therefor. Dur ing setting or hardening of the vulcanized fiber there is a tendency for it to contract. l therefore find it desirable to form the rim or a plurality of segments, the ends of the scents being connected together in any suitable manner. Tn some instances, h.ow

ever, the rim may be formed of a split ring. R

and which the ends .e spider arms F ll: is preferably attached. The filler glued and nailed to the meeting ends or segments, but be attached thereto in desirable manner, outer ends of the arms are shaped to form. segmental bearings a receive the rim, Pre; ably two or? the are connected to the rim at the junction the segments, by means screws 1 the l and through ental be r llllll the rim. In some instances, instead of securing the ends of the intermediate arms F to the rim, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, a filler member 6 is arranged intermediate the ends of the segments to form a more rigid attachment for the outer end of the spider arms F. The member a is of sufiicient size to allow it to be telescoped within the segmental tube after the latter has dried.

In the construction shown in Fig. 8, an inner rim Gr of tubular metal is provided, this metal tube serving to shape the green tube when the latter is applied thereto as hereinbefore described. With the arrangement shown in Fig. 8, the ends of the tubular metal sections may be connected together by a metallic band H.

llnsteadotshaping the fibrous material upon a mandrel, it may-as before stated be shapedin a mold and in Fig. 9 li have illustrated one manner of forming the fibrous material by means of a mold. Thus I and J are two sections of a sheet metal mold, of segmental form, and K is the fibrous material. The latter is made into tubular form and one end thereof closed by means of a stopper L or other suitable means, while the opposite end is attached to the compressed air suppl connection f. After 9 the fibrous tube has ldeen engaged with the mold and the sections thereof clamped closed as by means of a clamp g, compressed air is admitted to the fibrous tube, which will cause the latter to assume the shape of the mold. The mold is herein shown as having a plurality of corrugations M on the inner face thereof and of a contour to form a secwearer tion of a steering wheel rim. After the fibers of'the material have set or hardened sufficiently to retainits shape, the material is rernoved from the mold.

While l. have shown and described several very desirable forms of rim which may be made by my improved method, it will be understood that not only is the method adapted for the formation of rims of various types, but also articles of various contours can be made thereby.

What ll claim as my invention is 1. The method of forming rims of steering wheels from vulcanized fibrous material, comprising forming the vulcanized fiber into tubular stock and in shaping the vulcanized stock by a form into the desired contour when the fibers of the stock are pliable, and

in allowing the fibrous material to dry and r in then finishing the surface of the fibrous material.

2. The method of forming rims of steering wheels from vulcanized fibrous material, comprising forming a comparatively straight tube of vulcanized fibrous material and changing the shape of the tube into segmental form, and shaping the tube by means operating from its interior when the fibers of the vulcanized tube are still pliable and then finishing the surface of the rim,

, In testimony whereof ll aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLES W. BECK.

Witnesses:

WM. J. BELKNAIP, James 1?. Barry. 

